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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bound — certain
  3. press — to push
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. board — a committee
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. press — a publisher
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. board — to get on
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bound — obliged
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com